Fence-post.



PATENTED OCT. 30, 1906. A. J. HENINGER. FENCE POST. urmonl'ql run In. 1. 1905 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW J. HENINGER, OF TAZEWELL, VIRGINIA,

FENCE-POST.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 7, 1906. Serial No. 286.239.

To all whom it may concern} -.posed to 'rovide a fence-post of plastic material wit an embedded .wooden or other strip and that 'in order to protect said strip from the elements it has been inclosed in a metallic casin While it is absolutely essential that t e wooden strip be protected I ings throu h w against the elements, the use -ofa metallic casing for the purpose is objectionable for the reason that it is required to be connected with the strip prior to the insertion of the latter within the post. Again, the metallic strip must be rovided with suitable openich the wire-supporting staike may be passed for driving into Again, the metallic strip 1sv an ples or the the wood.

. expensive, and therefore practically prohibitive, addition to the ordinarily inexpensive plastic post. The main objection, however, to'the use of a metallic casing as a protective medium for the wooden strip is that its ratio of' expansibility and contractibility differs from that of the material of the post with the result that under extremes of temperature the post is liable to become cracked or broken. v

It is the object of the present invention to 1 provide the wooden strip within the post with a protecting medium of a nature to avold al of the objections above noted therebymaterially increasing the lifeof the post and gaining all the advantages from the use of the embedded stri without any of the disadvantages incidenta to all similar constructions with which I am familiar.

The invention in the referred co'nstruction will be described in t e following specification, reference being had to-the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a fence-- post constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section of the same. Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the application of the protecting medium; and

1'18. 5 is a transverse section through a post,

Patented Oct. 30, I906.

illustrating a slightly-modified form bf the invention.

Referring to the drawings, my improved fence-post 1 is constructed 'of plastic material, being referabl molded square in crosssection an gradual y tapering from the bottom toward the top, whereby the cost of the post is reduced and the greatest thickness e wooden strip 2v to be inserted in the post is practically square in cross-section, with one ed e truncated to rovide a face 3 parallel wit a line diagona l he strip is moldin the 0st, being either inserted-within the mold and the plastic material of the post tam ed therearound, or the, post is primarily mol( ed, and while in com aratively softv condition the stri 2 is forced into the post from the face side t ereof. Under either operation the strip is positioned within the post adjacent the face 4 t-hereof, with the face 3 of the strip directly parallel with the face 4 of the post. In this position the strip is angularly disposed within the postthat is, the diagoly of thepost, inserted during the process'of nals of the strip are parallel with the sides of the post. receiving-opening within the post is approximately diamond shape in cross-section, with its line of greatest width some distance in rear of the face of the post, the walls of the. opening converging from the line of eatest width toward the face and rear wal of the post, respectively, whereby the strip is securely held within the post, as will be obvious. The strip 2 is preferably of a len th slightly less than that of the 0st, so tiat from above the ends thereof are conceale and below by the material of the post. The strip 2 is so ositioned within the post relative to the f dce 4 thereof as to position the face of the :stri slightly in rear of the face 4 of the post, t us providing a longitudinal channel 5, extending lengthwise the post coextensive with and exposing the face 3 of the strip. In use the staples 6 for su line-wires 7 of the into the face 3 of t e strip, afterwhichthe channel 5 is filled flush with the facejof the post with the same material as that used to construct the post.

By this arrangement the strip-,

porting the post are suitably driven It is to be understood that the filler for the channel 5, as 8, is to be so applied as to thoroughly cover all exposed area of the face 3 of the strip, whereby said strip is wholly inclosed and sealed Within the post.

If preferred, the walls of the channel 5 may be undercut to rovide for a more effective holding of thefil er. In: the form illustrated inFig. 5 the strip 2 is shown as positioned within the post. to aline its face 3 with the face 4 of the post. In. this event the filler, as 9, will comprise a layer of material practically coextensive with the face of the post and preferably thickest at that point overlying the strip.

By the construction described it will be noted that the strip is wholly inclosed and sealed within the post, whereby it is protected a ainst the elements and rendered practical y indestructible. I I

The characteristic feature of the present invention, however, is the use of a fi ler for sealing the strip within the post after its necessary exposure to receive the staples, which filler is of the same material as that composing the post. This materially cheapens the cost ofv the 0st, while at the same time providing for the complete sealing of the strip therein vagainst the action of the elements. Furthermore and most im ortant, the use of a filler of the same materia as that of the post provides for a uniform expansion and contraction and guards against any tendency to crack the post under extremes of tempirature, as would be incidental to a prote ting medium of a different substance than that of the post.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. A fence-post, a strip embedded therein during the mo ding of the post and having a portion thereof exposed, wire-receiving means secured to the exposed portion of the post, and a filler of the same material as the post to cover said exposed portion after the ap lication of the wire-receiving means, said fi ler exposing the wire-receiving means.

2. A fence-post molded of plastic material, a strip having a face portion embedded in the post during its manufacture to expose said face portion, the material of the post projecting beyond the face portionof the strip to provide a channel extending longitudinally of the post, wire-receiving means secured to the strip in said face portion, and a filler of the same material as the post to be applied to the face portion of the strip after the insertion of the wire-receiving means, said filler closing the channel in the post on a level with the contiguous surfaces of the post. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ANDREW J. HENINGER. Witnesses:

JOHN L. FLETCHER, DAVID W. GOULD. 

